Top tips when looking for a new job from Datasource Director, Lindsay Babbage

Making the decision to look for a new role is daunting. Looking for a new role can be even more daunting, but you should be proud of yourself,?you’ve started the process and set the wheels in motion which is already a big step.

The best advice I can give, which is the best advice I have received, is that businesses consciously and unconsciously hire personality over skill. A person with a good attitude can be easily trained. A person with skills but a bad attitude might not produce desired results.

As a recruitment specialist I have read hundreds, if not thousands of job descriptions, and looked to recruit the talent that matched. I started questioning, “ Why are job descriptions full of desired skills and experience needed? Why is there no mention of desired personality traits?”.... So I made a change immediately.

At Datasource we have created a Requirements Capture document, this begins with questions about a company's culture and their team's personality, and ensures we can fit the right candidate's personality and attitude to the available roles.

So remember, clients hire a ‘Good Attitude’. Start your job search, lead from the beginning with your personality. You can express a positive attitude from the very second you begin a job search.

Here’s my top tips to help the process:?

?? Set aside a chunk of time to put pen to paper and write a comprehensive CV. It’s this first thing the client sees in most instances.

??? Create a LinkedIn profile which showcases your skill, experience and personality.

?? Ensure you gain some ‘recommendations’ through LinkedIn. It sets a really good impression, sort of like TripAdvisor!

??? Keep track of roles that you apply for (keep a spreadsheet) and schedule a date to chase up feedback on your application in 3 days time.

??? Go one step further at the application stage and seek the name of the author of the advert and request to connect with them on LinkedIn. This will start the process of making your profile feel familiar to them.

??Next step, follow the company profile on LinkedIn. They will share insightful news and it will give you handy topics to discuss when you get the opportunity to take your application to the next stage.

??? Use an agency like Datasource to help showcase your personality and make you stand out from the crowd. Often applications received via a company website get overlooked as they are overwhelmed. If a company has engaged with an agency on roles, it means they trust them and listen to their recommendations. Agency recruitment consultants have the expertise to cut through the volume and present candidates in a refined way making clients heavily reliant on their services.

?You will soon begin to feel familiar with the recruiter.

Your actions will have helped them understand how passionate you are about joining their business and will give them confidence in your abilities.

And, Well done, you’ve successfully showcased your good attitude.

Good Luck!?